Hurting and healing
by QueenLavenderEyes
Summary: A moment in a cafe starts Elizabeth down a difficult path.
1. Chapter 1

Hurting and healing

By QueenLavenderEyes

Chapter One

After a long day at the State department sometimes the best thing in the world was a piece of cheesecake from the café. Or at least that's how Elizabeth McCord felt sometimes after dealing with politicians all day. She was just amazed that she had gotten out of work at three instead having to stay at the office all night. Of course, the cake would be even better once her children finally got to the café a joined her. It was kind of lonely waiting alone even with her guard standing a few feet away. She just wished that Henry would be joining them but the "other" work that he was doing kept him at work.

As Elizabeth sat at her table thinking about her family she heard the bell above the café door ring as two young men walked in. She wouldn't even have noticed them except there was something …off about the boys. The older boy was just standing at the counter shifting from foot to foot while the younger boy (who couldn't have been more than thirteen) looked around the café. But Elizabeth didn't have too much time to wonder about the boys because after a few moments both boys pulled out some type of small gun and started pointing it at the people in the café.

"Everyone on the ground!" The older boy shouted at the customers. "And you put the money into the bag!" as he threw a bag at the cashier.

The younger boy was shaking as he pointed the gun at Elizabeth's detail.

"This one's got a gun! Put the gun on the floor and get down on the ground."

With a quick look at Elizabeth the guard put the gun on the ground.

As he did Elizabeth stood up with her hands in the air.

"Please calm down. This isn't a good idea but I can help you both out of this situation." Elizabeth pleaded.

"Shut up you bitch. We don't need you telling us anything!" The older boy shouted but Elizabeth could see that the younger boy wanted to listen.

"Look I know it's hard but this isn't going to end well if you continue. It isn't too late to put down the guns before someone gets hurt."

The fear in the younger boy's eyes got stronger as he glanced around. It might have only been a few minutes since they entered the café but it was enough time for the boy to realize that he had made a very bad mistake.

"Billy, Maybe we should do as she says. I don't want to go to jail! What about mom?"

The younger boy turns around as he pleads with his friend. The look in his eyes must have reached the older boy because Elizabeth could see him lowering the gun.

But just as both boy's guns were on the ground another boy burst into the café.

"Hey! What's taking so long? We need to g…"

This man (and he was obviously much older than the boys in the café) took in the situation in as he glanced around.

"You brats screwed me? Fine, I'll take care of this myself after dealing with you!"

The man roared as he pulled out a gun much bigger than the ones on the floor.

In an instant Elizabeth knew what was about to happen. With a yell, she threw herself in front of the younger boy to protect him.

As the loud bang rang out all Elizabeth could think was, who knew that a dangerous situation like could take so little time….


	2. Chapter 2

Hurt and Healing

By QueenLavenderEyes

Chapter 2

"Come on guys, hurry up! Mom's waiting for us" Stevie signed as Jason and Allison argued about …something. Stevie didn't even care what they were arguing about at this point. After a very full day of running through the tasks that Russell Jackson had given her all she wanted to have was a large piece of cake. And as a large bonus the cake might even make her siblings shut up.

But as the three siblings grew closer to the café they realized that the sirens that had just been background noise to them was in fact coming from where they were heading. As each of the three stop they glanced at each other, the same thought running through each of their heads: Had something happened to their mother? While it had been awhile since the stalker had been caught they couldn't help but think that they were still in danger.

As if they had broken out of trance together all three children ran towards the café, hoping that their mother hadn't been in the café and that the sirens were just for something else. But their hopes were dashed as soon as they rounded the corner and saw two of their mother's detail standing outside the café urging two paramedics to hurry into the café. Slipping into the café while everyone was confused Stevie was horrified to see one of her mother's detail kneeling beside….

There was so much blood.

Too much blood.

This couldn't have all come from her mother, right?

A cry could be heard over the din of the ambulances, Allison had finally seen what had happened to their mother. Thinking quickly Stevie turned around and started pushing her siblings out of the café. As one of the guards outside the café came towards them to get them back behind the crime scene tape, Stevie pushed Jason and Allison towards them while going back into the café. Stevie felt someone's hands on her arms but she shook the hands off. The paramedics were moving her mother onto a stretcher as Chris watched over them.

She needed to be near her mother. She needed to be sure that her mother was still…. alive.

"Chris, what happened? Is she ok? What can I do?" Stevie implored, knowing that she sounded younger than she was.

The guard looked up. "Miss McCord, you need to get back behind the crime scene tape. I'll make sure that …."

"No! I'm not leaving her now tell me what happened!" Stevie yelled.

Chris sighed. "Two young men came into the café with guns and attempted to hold the place up. I was too far to charge them and I couldn't risk shooting one and the other shoot someone else. The Secretary managed to talk the two of the into putting down their guns but a third criminal came in and attempted to shoot the younger of the first two kids. Then the Secretary jumped in front of the boy and was shot in her lower back."

"Will she be ok?" Stevie asked, cursing her mother's luck. The one day that she came to the café was the day that shooters come in.

Chris looked uncomfortable as he watched the paramedics, "I don't know. But your mother is strong so I'm sure she'll be ok."

As the stretcher moved past her Stevie touched her mother's beautiful blonde hair. It took a minute for her to realized that her mother's hair wasn't just blonde anymore. And another minute passed before Stevie looked at her own hand and realized that there was blood on her right hand.

Stevie almost threw up. Running out of the café and past her siblings behind the crime scene tape Steve reached a tree before she finally lost control of her stomach.

Once she was finished throwing up Stevie straightened up and reached for her phone. IT took her a few tries but finally Steve dialed the right number.

"Dad? Mom's been shot."


	3. Chapter 3

Hurt and healing

By QueenLavenderEyes

 _Author's note: Sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I wasn't able to get on the computer for a while but I hope you like this one._

 _2_ _nd_ _Author's note: A reviewer pointed out a mistake on the placement of the gunshot so I fixed it. Thank you for informing me about it ._

Chapter 3

Henry had never been the type of person to drive fast but today he made an exception.

His wife was in the hospital with a gunshot wound and from what he could hear on the phone his children were panicking. He didn't even bother trying to find a spot near the entrance of the hospital since that would take up more time. Running towards the entrance Henry burst through the door glancing around the room.

As soon as Henry saw his children he rushed over to them, holding out his arms. They all jumped up from their chairs to hug him but Stevie hung back a little. Henry knew that she had something to say but that she wouldn't want to worry her siblings with what she had seen. But that's as far as his thoughts got before Jason and Allison's questions started.

"Dad! What happened? We've been trying to get information on mom's condition but they wouldn't tell us anything!" Jason stated, his voice getting higher near the end.

"Dad, we want to see mom but they aren't letting us into her room!" Allison said, at the same time as Jason.

"Guys, everyone needs to calm down. I don't know what's going on yet since I just got here but I'll find out from the doctor. Just let me go talk to them." Henry stated, trying to keep his voice level so that no one could tell he was far from calm.

But as Henry started walking away he had a thought and realized he was about to forget something. He turned around to Stevie.

"Stevie, where are your mother's detail? The ones that were supposed to be guarding her?" Henry could hear the anger in his voice but he couldn't seem to care what the children thought. He couldn't let them see his worry but anger….

"They're in a room down the hall talking to the police about what happened."

Luckily just as she spoke up Henry heard voices coming up the hall. Turning around he saw three men in the details uniform come into the room. Usually Henry could at least recognize everyone in the detail but he couldn't seem to place these ones. But they certainly knew who he was since as soon as they saw him they came over.

"Stevie, take your brother and sister to the cafeteria while I talk to the guards." Henry didn't even turn to watch them walk away. "Ok gentlemen let's hear it."

The guards looked at each other. Finally, one of them spoke up.

"Mr. McCord…."

"Doctor McCord."

"Sorry sir. Doctor McCord, we know that you're angry but if you could remain calm we will go over everything that happened."

"Don't tell me to be calm! You were supposed to be protecting my wife but she ended up shot!" Henry was almost shouting. He knew that people were more than likely watching them but he really didn't care.

"Doctor McCord we did everything we could. We had one man inside the café with the Secretary but he was forced to put his gun down or risk the shooters firing at someone. When your wife jumped in front of one of the shooters he was too far back to get in front of her. The two guards in front of the café were at the corners of the building and they were not aware of the danger before the shot was fired." The guard who spoke up must be the higher ranking of the three but that didn't stop Henry.

"Is that supposed to be an excuse? The whole point of having you guys around is to protect her and you failed!" Henry would have continued but just then a doctor came up to them.

"Doctor McCord? Sorry to interrupt up but I have information about your wife. Could you come with me?" The woman was soft spoken but it was enough to gather all of Henry's attention.

"Of course, I'll come." Turning to the guards Henry stated softly "I'll speak to you later."

As Henry and the doctor walked down the hall, she finally introduced herself. "I'm Doctor Highland and I was the attending doctor for your wife's surgery."

"Surgery? How bad was she? Will she be all right?" Henry was getting a terrible feeling in his heart.

"I was just getting to that. Your wife was shot in her lower back between her L4 and L5 vertebra in her lower back with a high velocity gun at close range. While we did have to do surgery since the bullet seems to have done some damage to her spine. But there is one thing that you should know about her condition."

At this the doctor paused, clearly unsure of how Henry was going to take the news she was about to give him. But she had to tell him eventually.

She sighed. "Doctor McCord, there is some possibility that your wife might be paralyzed when she wakes up. She might be paralyzed."


End file.
